Losing Points, Gaining Something Else
by Elpin
Summary: The Slytherins and Gryffindors wake up to find fifty points gone from both houses. Everybody is wondering why, except two students, both being very quiet about the whole situation. What happened? SLASH HPDM.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **none in the first chapter.

**Disclaimer:** belong to JK these do.

**Note**: My sister just came out of the "slash-lovers closet" and asked me to write this story. Welcome sis! We're all nice people here, aren't we guys?? 

-:-

When the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin awoke and made their way towards the Great Hall one Sunday morning they were all shocked to find fifty points missing from each of their houses. Their shouts and heated arguments concerning who had managed to lose such a ghastly amount during the course of the night were heard throughout the Great Hall. The Ravenclaws were smug, and the Hufflepuffs were dutifully concerned that some mistake must have been made.

During breakfast everybody was voicing their opinion on what happened to their House points during the night, everybody except two students, one from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin. These two were doing such a good job at acting inconspicuous by eating their breakfast and not looking or talking to anyone that soon their respective houses were sure they were the cause of their misfortune.

"Harry, do you have anything to say to us?" Hermione asked the silent and eating Gryffindor, who at first tried to pretend he hadn't heard her, but in the end had to look up. He looked guiltier than a mouse caught with the cheese.

"What?" This cause a collective exasperated sigh from the Gryffindors sitting close who had noticed his lack of an opinion on the Points Debate.

"What happened, Harry?" Hermione asked sternly. Harry opened his mouth, but instead chose to stuff a piece of toast into it to keep from speaking.

"You snuck off during the night, didn't invite either of us, and now your not telling us if it was worth the _fifty points_ you managed to lose in _one night_!" Ron exclaimed loudly enough to sufficiently spread the word to the other Gryffindors about who was responsible for putting Ravenclaw in the lead. Soon factions rose up across the table. One group claimed he had been off doing some spectacular prank on the Slytherins which they were soon going to see the results of. Others pointed out the Slytherins loss of points as well and declared he must have gotten into a row with one of them. Another faction all together had help from the Hufflepuffs in forming a theory containing mistaken identities and a bunch of blast-ended skrewts, but I'm not going into that one in detail.

Hermione turned in her seat and looked over at the Slytherin table, where Malfoy was just as quiet as the other Slytherins were loud. They were obviously having a similar conversation over there. She turned back, an even sterner look in her face. Harry had to avert his eyes from the penetrating stare.

"Did you have a row with Malfoy, Harry?" Ron gasped when Harry looked even further away from Hermione, a sign of confirmation if there ever was one.

"Merlin, Harry! You must have gotten pretty rough with him if you had to lose fifty points!" Harry, to both Ron and Hermione's surprise, visibly blushed. He was desperately trying to eat his toast and look away from the table as the same time, while also looking down to hide the fact that his face was the shade of a ripe tomato. Suddenly he looked up and waved to someone approaching.

"Neville! Come and sit here will you?" Ron and Hermione exchanged confused looks. It wasn't unusual for Neville to sit with them of course, but they generally had an open invitation, and didn't call out to each other in quite so frantic a fashion. Neville sat down, looking almost as nervous as Harry for some reason.

"So, Neville. Anything interesting happened to you last night?" Harry asked, looking pointedly down at the shorter Gryffindor, in a very un-Harry-like manner.

"No, no. Nothing… nothing at all. I promise." Neville stammered quietly. Harry's face softened. Ron and Hermione exchanged confused looks again.

The rest of the Gryffindors were to occupied at exchanging information with the Slytherins to notice this last conversation. The Houses quickly put two and two together and soon everybody was sprouting theories on what the two famous rivals had gotten up to during the night. One was quite dirty actually, but was quickly dismissed as completely improbable...


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning:** language.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own 'em.

**Note**: I have such huge amounts of work to do that these short chapters are all I can manage at the moment. I'm so sorry. Hope you like the chapter. I promise the answers are coming!!!

Please bear in mind that I am Norwegian and I don't have a beta. So there are a few mistakes!!!

Oh, and I guess this is AU because of HBP, but I think most people realized that already. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! I take all critique and suggestions under consideration.

-:-

Breakfast ended at around the usual time breakfast always ends on a typical Saturday morning at Hogwarts, the rumours surrounding the Point Debate did not. For the first time in a long, long while Gryffindors and Slytherins were "comparing notes" as it were. Both houses wanted as much detail on the two people responsible for losing so many points as possible. Blaise Zabini did his duty and recited Draco's movements the previous day to anyone who wanted to listen, their house no longer an issue. Even Ron answered Pansy when she came over and asked if he had seen the two together at all on Friday, the answer to which was no. All around the castle Gryffindors and Slytherins were sitting around tables, lounging in circles on the grass or walking side by side through the corridors, all talking about what had happened. Their interests were so focused on the details and wild theories that practically everybody forgot to be mad at the pair for losing so many points in the first place.

The teachers, strangely enough, were also a bit perplexed on the sudden loss of points. Only McGonagall seemed to know the full story, and refused to explain the situation. The faculty were even more mystified by the sudden companionship between the old rival houses. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were both mildly interested, but they kept the discussion to within their respective houses. Indeed it seemed that the shared loss had turned the rivalry into an almost friendly alliance and shared goal to find out the truth.

The two students who the whole debate revolved around however were not joining in the new coalition of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Both Harry and Draco had been cornered right after breakfast by Professor McGonagall and told to go to Dumbledore's office an hour before dinner. Harry had immediately returned to his dorm, Draco to his, and the two had not been seen in public since. Ron and Hermione at first didn't think it wise to question Harry, but when he failed to show up at lunch, something Draco did as well, the pair decided to talk to him.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she and Ron stepped tentatively into the sixth-year dorm. Harry was sitting on his bed, cross-legged and staring at his hands in his lap. He shifted uneasily when he heard his name, but didn't say anything. Hermione and Ron exchanged concerned glances before making their way over to the bed and sitting on opposite sides, Harry in the middle and in front of them.

"Listen guys… I can't tell you what happened." He didn't look up as he spoke.

"Why?" Ron tried to keep any accusation out of his voice. Harry sighed.

"Well… first of all you wouldn't believe me… and if you did then you'd probably want to… kill me."

"Don't be silly, Harry," Hermione said soothingly and put a hand on the boy's knee. "You can tell us anything. We'll understand. Did you get into a fight with Malfoy?"

"No," Harry whispered. A silence fell as Hermione and Ron waited for him to continue. Concerned glanced were exchanged again when nothing more was said.

"Perhaps you could tell us why you were out of bed in the first place? It obviously happened during the night or very close to curfew for no one to have noticed the loss of points until this morning." Hermione's logical reasoning did not make Harry any more forthcoming.

"No," he whispered, but a little more firmly.

"Merlin, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, causing Harry to finally look up at them. "If you wont tell your friends why you were sneaking out, fine. We'll see you later. Come on Hermione." He got up and moved to the door, turning around when Hermione didn't follow. She looked at Harry, trying to read his expression.

"I can't tell you," Harry said simply. Hermione sighed, nodded and left.

xxx

"Get the fuck out, Blaise." Draco said calmly as his Slytherin classmate entered the dormitory. Draco was sitting on his bed, leaned back on the headboard and reading a book. He didn't look up as he spoke. "I said _get_ _out_." Blaise stopped for a moment, considering his options, but in the end decided he wanted to give it a go. He stepped in, quickly closing the door behind him, and plopped down on Draco's bed, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Sooooo. You're just going to sit here all day, eat nothing, and not even explain why we're suddenly losing the House Cup?" His tone was light, without a hint of accusation or anger. Draco shut the book with a bang and glared at Blaise.

"First of all," he began, holding up his hand and counting with his fingers. "You have no proof, _actual concrete proof,_ that I had anything to do with it. Second I don't have to tell you anything. I am not obliged to explain myself to you or any other student. And thirdly… I can sneak off to the kitchens later," he finished with a quick smug smile and propped the rather large book in his lap, effectively obscuring Blaise lying on the bed in front of him.

"Fine," Blaise said nonchalantly as he got up. "Just thought you would want to set the record straight." He made his way towards the door.

"What do you mean?" He smiled to himself when he heard Draco's voice, suddenly a bit unsure. Blaise turned around, replacing the smile with an innocent expression.

"Oh, nothing. It's just… well you should hear some of the things they say about you and The Golden Boy. A lot of theories out there on what you two were… getting up to in the middle of the night." Draco's eyed went wide as the book fell from his hands.

"What? What do they say?"

"Believe me, you don't want to hear it. In fact I think I'm scared for life."

"Tell me!" Blaise couldn't help the smug smile come back to his face as he walked calmly over and sat on Draco's bed again. He leaned in conspiratorially.

"They say you and Potter… how to put this? Were fucking like rabbits and doing such devious sins that it's lucky you weren't expelled or sent to Azkaban." Blaise was, of course, exaggerating as much as possible. The most sexually orientated theory out there was that the two had been caught snogging in the teachers' lounge, but as stated earlier it had been dismissed as unlikely. Blaise however thought this the perfect tactic to get Draco to tell him the truth to discourage such awful rumours from spreading. His plan backfired however when Draco suddenly went back to his book.

"Such silly rumours. What will people believe next? Now where was I? Oh, right: _Get out._" Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again and admitted defeat. He silently cursed as he left the room. He had been so sure Draco would tell him.

-:-

Again sorry for the horribly short chapter. Please review!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning:** none in this chapter I think.

**Disclaimer:** see first chapter

**Note: ** Here it is: The next chapter. No real answers yet, but I had fun writing it. Promise that next chapter WILL contain REAL answers, and then some. ;-)

Don't forget to review!

-:-

The students were all enjoying their Saturday. Many Gryffindors and Slytherins however still wouldn't stop talking about the Point Debate. It was around this time that someone, most likely a Ravenclaw, had the brilliant idea of asking the portraits if they had seen or heard anything during the night. The Gryffindors immediately questioned the Fat Lady. She was very please at all the attention she was suddenly getting, and blushed as she told her tale to the throng of students surrounding her frame.

"I am so sorry dears, but I did not see Harry Potter _exit_, nor any Slytherin enter. And I was up all night because Violet had told me the most frightful tale… but that's another story. What I can tell you…" all the students leaned in to hear properly as she lowered her voice. "Is that my portrait opened around midnight. No one came out, that I could see, but it closed again as if on it's own… and then around two o'clock Harry Potter was suddenly before me seeking entrance, and he wouldn't tell me what he had been up to, nor how he got out!" This of course only added fuel to the fire and the Gryffindors quickly shared their findings with the Slytherins, who in turn told the Gryffindors what they had learned from various portraits all over the school, including the dungeons.

"Many told us that they had seen Harry Potter _chasing_ Draco Malfoy! Right down the corridors! It seems they ran all over the place. I heard the same story from a portrait in the dungeons as I did on the third floor!" This was most peculiar and new theories were made to include reasons why Harry Potter would be running after Draco Malfoy down the corridors in the middle of the night. The two _runners_ were still alone in their rooms, neither daring to leave until they were to meet in Dumbledore's office. Even Hermione couldn't for the life of her figure out why they had been seen running. Neither Ron nor Hermione dared question Harry though.

One hour before dinner both boys were found outside the Headmaster's office. They avoided each other's eyes and didn't say anything as the stairway lifted them up to the large doors. Once inside they were met with the sight of Dumbledore, a very visible twinkle in his eyes, sitting behind his desk. He rose as they entered and gestured for them to sit. When everybody was seated the old wizard took his time in scrutinizing the two young boys, the glint in his eyes only growing. Both boys caved under the piercing gaze and started to blush furiously.

"Harry, Draco. Do you have anything you wish to say?" Even the Gryffindor didn't dare say anything, and only blushed a deeper shade of red. Draco managed to shake his head slightly. "I see…" Slowly a smile started to spread across Dumbledore's face, as if he had been holding it back all the time and now simply couldn't. "Professor McGonagall has of course told me the… details of last night. So you do not need to explain it to me. Don't worry so much about it. Next time however I suggest keeping things more… private and _not_ outside of the dorms after curfew." Both boys nodded and blushed _even more_, if that was possible, which indeed it apparently was. Dumbledore was still smiling, but his voice left no doubt that he was serious. "Now… off you go to dinner, and the points will be taken care of."

"What?" Harry had suddenly found his voice. Draco didn't say anything, but looked just as shocked as Harry, but luckily that also meant they stopped blushing, for a while. "You're giving back the points?"

"I think you both have had punishment enough, considering. We will write it off as… improving inter-house relations. Which I do think you have." The blush returned in full force to both pair of cheeks. "And besides, I think it is the only way to stop the endless discussion. I hope however the bond between the two houses will remain, but I'm sure you both would like them to stop harassing you with questions?"

"Yes, Headmaster… thanks." The Headmaster rose, indicating the meeting was over. The boys followed suit.

"No problem, Harry. Now, off you go. The points have already been returned." They said their goodbyes, and more thanks, and left. When they stood at the bottom of the stairs Harry and Draco had yet to look at each other. They stood still, not speaking. Draco kept looking down the corridors.

"Draco," Harry said finally. "Look at me." Draco shook his head, keeping his eyes down the corridor leading to the main stairs and the sound of students making their way to dinner.

"I want to talk about it. I-"

"Well, I don't!"

"You've got to understand, Draco. It was-"

"A mistake. I made a mistake. Let's just forget it ever happened."

"No! You don't understand. You keep interrupting me. Let me finish!"

"Sod off!" Draco suddenly started running down the corridor in the direction of the Great Hall. It took Harry a few seconds to react, but he quickly ran after the Slytherin as fast as he could.

"Draco, wait!" He shouted causing several students they ran past to look oddly at them. When they reacted the Entrance Hall Draco had to slow down because of all the students filing into the Great Hall. Harry reached the bottom step almost out of breath. He jogged the last distance, grabbed Draco's shoulder and spun the boy around.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy stop! Stand still for one second will you! I'm trying to tell you I love you for Merlin's sake!"

Silence.

-:-

I am sooooo sorry. You may hate me for this cliffhanger, but there is a very good reason why I had to stop there. Once you read the rest I think you will agree that this makes it much more interesting!

Again sorry for the short chapter. I have a paper due so I don't have time for more. But as always if I get a lot of reviews I always try to write faster!! (hint) ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning:** there is SLASH here!!! Nothing graphic, but still a good deal of teenage hormones running around. LOL. You'll get the pun once you read the chapter! Remember don't like don't read! And a bit of language.

**Disclaimer:** see first chapter.

**Note**: HERE IT IS: THE MISSING SCENES BETWEEN HARRY AND DRACO!! This chapter is all about how the points were lost. It is necessary to read this bit before we can go back to the cliffhanger. So sorry, but it will help you to understand Draco's behaviour when they left Dumbledore's office. Next chapter we'll be back to the cliffhanger. So sorry.

**Note 2:** Thanks soooooo much for all the reviews! This is the most reviews I've got in this short amount of time!! And I do hope this chapter is interesting because someone threatened to hex me if it wasn't! -_Cowers in a corner until the first review can put me at ease _

-:-

Harry sneaked out of the Common Room around midnight just as planned.

"Who's there?" Harry cursed under his breath that the Fat Lady was awake. Usually you had to poke her before she would stir. He ignored her questions and hurried down the corridor to the usual meeting place. Pulling the invisibility cloak tighter around him he made his way to the seventh floor. Turning a corner his breath caught at the sight of Draco Malfoy leaning casually against a wall, looking the other way. He stepped as quietly as he could towards the delectable Slytherin, silently licking his lips. Finally when he was right behind the boy, Draco still completely oblivious to Harry's presence, he leaned in close and whispered.

"Gotcha." Draco started and spun around, his eyes scanning the corridor in front of him frantically. His shock was replaced by a smirk in the next second as he reached out and pulled the cloak off Harry. As it fell to the floor he grabbed Harry's collar, pulled the Gryffindor towards him, turned so quickly Harry felt a little dizzy, then slammed Harry into the wall. The Gryffindor however was not shocked; he merely smiled before Draco suddenly attacked his mouth with his. The push had been part of the routine, just hard enough to be thrilling and never hard enough to make Harry's head bump into the wall. It was amazing really, Harry thought, how Draco managed to push him exactly hard enough every time, even the first time when they had met like this in the deserted corridor.

Harry let a moan escape him as he let Draco's tongue inside his mouth. He needed this so bad. It was a perfect way to let off steam and tension. Or as Draco officially called them: Fuck-buddies. Harry didn't really mind. With Voldermort trying to kill him all the time there really wasn't time for anything else.

"You got me, do you?" Draco breathed as he finally pulled away for air. "I have a game we can play." Harry actually moaned when he heard Draco say that. The Slytherin had a thing for inventing perfectly delicious games.

"Should we go into the Room first?" Harry was referring to the Room of Requirement, where they usually _played_.

"No… this game requires something the room can't give to us." Harry frowned in confusion.

"What could we possibly play that would require something the Room of _Requirement_ can't give us?"

"Space," Draco was simply. "And lots of it." He leaned in and nibbled Harry's earlobe before whispering huskily. "I want you to chase me."

"What? You mean like… in a hide and seek kind of way?"

"_No._ Not like that… more like… hunting. And when you catch me I'll be your prize." Despite the fact that it was completely ridiculous and childish Harry couldn't help feeling excited about the prospect. The way Draco was breathing into his ear wiped all fear of being caught from his mind.

"Ok," he heard himself say.

"Close your eyes and count to ten, but not too slowly."

"Wait a second," Harry said as he bent to pick up his cloak. He quickly shrunk it with a spell and pocketed it. He looked up at Draco, taking in the beautiful Slytherin one last time before nodding and closing his eyes. He started counting silently, and he could clearly hear Draco running down the corridor towards the main stairs. He finished counting just as the steps faded. When his eyes snapped up he didn't wait a moment longer. He ran down the corridor as fast as he could, it was a chase after all.

Chasing Draco Malfoy down corridors in the middle of the night was much more exhilarating than he could have imagined. Every time he reached a flight of stairs or had to chose between to directions he had to look around and figure out which way Draco had taken. Sometimes it was pretty obvious, like when Draco had spelled a secret passageway to stay open. Other times it took a while as Harry looked around, his heart pumping fiercely with adrenaline, until he finally spotted the clue. One time Draco had spelled a tapestry to billow slightly in the windless corridor, giving a clever hint to his route. Another time he had left a wet footprint on the first step of the stairway. As Harry reached the Entrance Hall he looked about, but couldn't find any clue. Suddenly there was a voice Harry was sure could only be inside his head. It was beckoning to him and it sent chills down his spine. "Down here," the voice whispered. Harry backtracked a way before taking a secret passageway behind a suit of armour he suspected Draco did not know about. He reached the dungeons, but couldn't tell if he had gotten any closer to his pray yet, but a sudden feeling made him move stealthily. He felt like a hunter, and he found he quite liked the power it gave him. He felt both excited and a little scared because of it. Suddenly he heard the unmistakeable sound of heavy breathing. He inched his way down the cold and dark corridor; certain Draco was waiting for sounds of him running before leaving another clue and running off himself.

He peeked around the corner ever so carefully, and saw before him Draco pressed to the wall, but looking the other way again, probably not realising Harry had taken another route and would be coming from behind. Harry inched his way forward as quietly as he could, trying to make his breathing as quiet as possible, which was quite hard considering how fast he'd just been running, but luckily Draco's breathing was ever louder. Suddenly he pounced like a leopard and grabbed Draco's waist, who in turn yelped in shock.

"Gotcha!" Harry exclaimed triumphantly as Draco squirmed a little in his grasp. He allowed the boy to turn in his arms to face him. Both grinned wickedly.

"You sneak. I didn't know Gryffindors could be so sneaky."

"Hmmm, yes, well, when there's a prize to be won." Draco closed the gap between them, kissing Harry hard. A kiss filled with heat and urgency. Harry pressed the boy in front of him into the wall, just hard enough, and the two boy's tongues entwined.

"Oh, shit," Draco breathed, though Harry wasn't sure why.

"Oh, my," came a reply, but not from Harry and certainly not from Draco because the voice was high-pitched and sounded startled. Harry turned, still pressed to Draco's body and looked over his shoulder. In the light from the few torches that lighted the corridor stood Neville Longbottom, looking wide-eyed and embarrassed. Harry jumped away from Draco as if the Slytherin had suddenly caught fire.

"Neville! I, uh, this… bugger." Harry turned towards Neville, but couldn't meet his eyes. "Look… please don't tell anyone about this?" Harry glanced up at Neville to see how the boy was reacting.

"Oh… well…" Neville looked like he didn't know what to think or say, but he didn't look disgusted, and Harry thought that probably was a good thing. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Neville, what the heck are you doing down here?" He asked his fellow Gryffindor, who suddenly blushed so deeply Harry could clearly see it in the dim light of the corridor.

"I… um… heh… guess we're both… in the same boat so to speak… bye!" Neville suddenly turned on his heel and ran like the wind. Harry was about to call after him when Neville's words sunk in and gave him pause. _Same boat?_ Harry turned to ask Draco what he thought Neville could have meant, but found the corridor deserted behind him. _Damn that snake! _He thought, but felt the thrill of the hunt surged through him. He promptly forgot about Neville and his mysterious comment and set off towards his pray once again.

It took a bit longer to locate Draco's trail in the scarcely lit dungeon, but he managed and found it led upwards to the higher floors again. Harry looked about and caught the sight of wet footprints in the direction of the transfiguration classroom. Harry wondered if it could possibly be some sort of trick, but he didn't see any other clues so he decided to follow them. He found the door to the room open and his apprehension grew. This was not good. One thing is sneaking off to the Room of Requirement, another was to run around the castle at night, and quite another thing was to get caught in a classroom, which wasn't unused! (AN: Why are there so many unused classrooms in H/D fics?) But Harry could do nothing except enter the room; he would not give up the hunt.

"Malfoy?" He whispered, though he wasn't sure why since the room seemed deserted. "Are you in here?" He stepped further into the room, looking around at the many desks and chairs he and his classmates had sat in that very day. He felt the urge to get out, but suddenly he was being spun around and pushed backwards into a desk. A second later an eager Slytherin was pressed up against him and shutting up any yelps of surprise by a forceful kiss.

"Gotcha," Draco murmured before attacking Harry's mouth again. Harry, much as he enjoyed the current situation, was still rational enough to think about the location of said situation. He pushed Draco away enough so he could speak.

"Fuck, Malfoy. We're in the_ transfiguration classroom!_"

"So? Don't tell me it doesn't turn you on, pretending it's daytime and having me take you in front of everybody." _Fuck._ Harry hadn't thought of that. Now that Draco had said it he couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. This was getting a little more _passionate_ that their usual impersonal shagging. And now Draco was desperately trying to unbutton his shirt.

"Shit, Potter, if you don't help me get this off I'll have to hex it off, and I'm not responsible for the consequences."

"Then rip it off. We're wizards you know. You can fix it later," he said playfully. As soon as he had said it however Draco grinned wickedly and proceeded to rip the shirt open. Buttons flew everywhere, one hitting Harry in the forehead.

"Ow! I was kidding you know!"

"I wasn't," Draco smirked and started kissing Harry's chest, something that was also new and more intimate than anything they had done before. Harry couldn't let himself think about it though as he was too busy moaning in pleasure at the new sensation.

"Oh, my," the voice was not Draco's, or Harry's or even Neville's. Harry looked over Draco's shoulder and let out a shriek of surprise. McGonagall was standing in the doorway, in her nightgown, gaping. Harry pushed Draco hard out of instinct and covered himself up. Draco fell backwards with a cry and slammed his head into a chair before slamming it again of the floor. Harry glanced between an increasingly angry McGonagall and the Slytherin on the floor. He realized that Draco's face was scrunched up in pain. He quickly forgot his professor's presence and knelt beside the blonde.

"Draco, are you ok?"

"No… I, ow, hit my head real bad." Draco put his hand to his head. "Am I bleeding?"

"Here, let me check." Harry carefully took hold of Draco's head and leaned closer. He tentatively pushed away the blonde hair, Draco wincing in pain as he did so. "No, no blood, but I think you'll have an awful bump. I'm so sorry, it was all my fault."

"Yes, it was," Draco said, but not too seriously.

"Forgive me?" He said before he could stop himself. Draco looked up into Harry's eyes. The two stared into each other's eyes longer than they had ever before, which actually wasn't that long.

"Of course."

"Malfoy, Potter." Both boys suddenly realized McGonagall was actually still in the room. They scrambled to their feet as fast as they could. Neither dared look their professor in the eye.

"This is most irregular… I…" the professor looked uncertain for a moment, but quickly regained her stern composure. "Fifty points from both houses for being out of bed and… well. This is not the correct behaviour to be engaging in during the night in a classroom! Now, both of you, back to bed!"

"Sorry, professor," Harry and Draco said at the same time, none of them daring to question the amount of points being taken. They moved to the door, but Harry paused; he had to know.

"Professor… how, just out of curiosity, how did you know-"

"That is really none of your concern, Mr. Potter… but." McGonagall turned to the only portrait that hung in the room of a young witch, though she was currently hiding behind the chair she was suppose to be sitting in. "You will not speak of this to anyone understand?" The witch nodded, coming nervously out from behind her chair. Harry couldn't believe he had forgotten about her, but then again she was rarely there during classes, probably because she had heard them a million times over the years.

"Boys! Can you believe them! You should wait until you're married before… you do that!" The boys blushed, maybe even McGonagall did a little too, but then she waved at them and they both hurried out, not looking back. Draco and Harry practically ran down the corridor. When they came to the stairs, the place they would have to separate, both stopped and looked at each other.

"Harry…" Draco looked suddenly more nervous than Harry had ever seen him. "Listen… fuck." He suddenly pulled Harry into a kiss, but it was a chaste and sweet kiss, nothing like the fierce and demanding kisses they usually shared. When they separated Harry was speechless, and there was a definite fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You called me Harry," he said after the silence became unbearable. He had meant to say "you kissed me," but since that really wasn't the novel thing here, apart from the nature of the kiss, Harry had opted for his first-name being spoken for the first time by his rival.

"Yeah… I… I did it because… I'm in love with you." Harry's eyes went wide. He was holding his breath.

"I-" He looked down, unable to keep the Slytherin's gaze. He wondered what had made Draco say that. Suddenly everything was turned upside down. Weren't they just supposed to be having fun, letting off steam? Harry felt the surge of butterflies in his stomach. What was that about? Then he realized he had been telling himself all the time not to hope for anything from Draco Malfoy except a bit of fun, but that was exactly what he had been doing all along: Hoping. Hoping that either his feelings would go away or that Draco would say just what he had said. He looked up again at Draco, who wore a very hurt expression.

"I-" He began again, but never got to finish.

"I said get to bed!" McGonagall's voice thundered down the corridor, making them both jump. Draco turned on his heel and ran down the stairs, not looking back. Cursing at his ill-fortune Harry turned and stomped off to his dorm.

-:-

Yay, another chapter done. The irritating thing is that I can't stop writing even though I have a ton of other stuff I should be doing! I just love this story so much! Hope it wasn't too slashy for the rating. I'm never sure about the rating. Remember to tell me what you think! All flames will be used to power my Floo! ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** Bit of slash in this one too. And I guess I should warn you about the fluff and clichés that may find their way into the narrative. Sorry I can help it! They want to cuddle all the time don't you know?

**Disclaimer**: Once again, just a reminder, they're not mine.

**Note**: Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! For all the nice reviews. Love you all! Here we are BACK TO THE CLIFFHANGER! DA DA DA! Lol. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

-:-

"Draco Lucius Malfoy stop! Stand still for one second will you! I'm trying to tell you that I love you for Merlin's sake!"

Silence.

More silence. Even more silence. More silence than had ever reigned in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts for the whole of its long history. Every student was staring and gaping at the two rivals, forming a circle around them and not moving or speaking, or even breathing it seemed. The silence just grew and grew to almost unbearable proportions. It grew out of control until it was so big it must have formed a consciousness of it's own. It was like a whole third person in the conversation that wasn't taking place. (AN: Cookie for anyone who gets the reference to a certain British sitcom!)

The students, consisting of a light mix from all houses and ranging from third year through sixth year for some reason, all continued gaping. It was amazing really that they could keep it up. Some students were starting to smile as well as gape. Others in turn started to frown. Soon Harry and Draco were surrounded by a bunch of gaping smiles and frowns, which did in fact look really odd. After a while a select few started to look downright horrified, while another select group gave up gaping entirely and started to grin like mad.

Harry and Draco looked back at each other at the same time, both having surveyed the room and come to the same conclusion: Yes, _everybody_ had heard what Harry had said, and yes, _everybody_ was staring at them, and even more yes, _everybody_ was waiting for one of them to either say something, snog or punch the other in the face.

Finally Harry seemed to come to his senses. He gathered all he could muster of his Gryffindor courage, he needed every drop he could get, and took a deep breath. He managed to speak, his voice only cracking a couple of times.

"Perhaps we, um, we could go somewhere we can… talk?" That did it. The Silence was killed, dead, it's consciousness short-lived but most likely a happy one. It slipped away like the sea before a tidal wave, and then the wave hit, and hit hard. The Hall erupted in squeals, shouts, loud conversations, hushed whispers, barks of laughter, giggles, hoots, whoops, catcalls, indeed every kind of exclamation and a fair amount of crying believe it or not. It was Harry and Draco's turn to gape. Then Draco suddenly grabbed Harry's wrist, causing even louder exclamations, and dragged him away to the nearest door were they could be alone, which happened to be the staff room. Harry was pushed inside. Draco slammed the door shut behind them and quickly cast a locking and silencing charm. He turned around slowly. Harry stood very still, trying to keep his breathing steady. The staff room was thankfully empty of teachers, most either working or at dinner already. The silence threatened with resurrection, but this time Harry knocked it on the head before it got a chance.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled it out like that. That was… really stupid."

"Yes, it was," Draco replied immediately, but calmly. He took a few steps towards Harry, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "Did you mean it?"

"What? Of course I did! Do you think I would shout something like that to half the school if I didn't mean it?"

"Well, you proved last night you were quite sneaky, and you definitely proved just now that you are _very_ dense."

"Hey!" Harry pouted, but couldn't hold it long when he saw the glint in Draco's eyes. He grinned and stepped closer until their chests almost touched. "So?" He asked while raising his eyebrows. "What now?"

"Say it again," Draco breathed as he leaned in and brushed his lips over Harry's.

"Why? You say it," Harry said teasingly, keeping still and not initiating a kiss.

"Just say it… please?" Harry grinned before he kissed Draco. He hadn't almost been put in Slytherin for nothing. He wanted to know for sure that Draco needed him as much as he needed Draco. Hearing the proud Slytherin plead was just an extra bonus. Draco drew back from the kiss a moment later, his lips still hovering over Harry's. "Say it." He demanded.

"I love you," Harry whispered, the words barely coming out of his mouth before Draco's lips covered his once again. After a more passionate kiss they parted once again, both grinning a bit stupidly.

"Why did you decide to tell me last night?" Harry asked. "What made you so bold all of a sudden?"

"I'm not sure," Draco shrugged. "I guess it was the look in your eyes when you asked me to forgive you for making me hit my head. You've never asked me that before."

"Well, I'm glad I made you hit your head then," Harry smiled and Draco smiled back.

"So… should we brave the rest of the school yet?" Draco glanced uncertainly at the door.

"Nah, let them wait a while longer." The new couple proceeded to kiss again, but didn't dare go any further in case McGonagall decided to make an untimely entry again.

The students in the Entrance Hall couldn't have been silenced if Voldermort himself had suddenly appeared out of thin air and declared his undying love for professor Flitwick. No one cared about who they were talking to, be it a rival house, different year or a complete stranger. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were particularly enthusiastic, although there were a few who were just plain disgusted, but they were quickly ignored. The very few people who had held on to the "dirty" theories during the Point Debate now saw a surge of support. They therefore all looked very smug and proceeded to issue I-told-you-soes to anyone within earshot. Soon the door to the Great Hall was opened and the news spread across the tables in a matter of seconds. The idea that the two most famous rivals were locked in the staff room snogging most likely was just too much for some people and some actually fainted. The teachers wanted to go and get the two students out of their staff room, but couldn't manage to get past the crowd of fervently discussing students. Dumbledore told them not to worry so much and that this was probably the first time the students had ever acted so friendly towards other houses.

Ron and Hermione came down from the Gryffindor common room a while later, both late for dinner for their own reasons, but luckily by that time the Entrance Hall was emptying out. When they came into the Great Hall however they both stopped in their tracks. If they had never been to Hogwarts before they wouldn't have been able to tell you which table belonged to which house. The students were sitting with whomever they had been talking to after the incident, not wanting to stop their conversation because of dinner. Some students were running back and forth between tables to exchange quick words and giggles. It was like everybody had simply forgot which house they belonged to.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asked bewildered when they saw Seamus, Dean and Neville sitting at the Gryffindor table with a large group of Slytherins, including Zabini, Parkinson and Nott. The whole group looked up at the two confused looking Gryffindors and promptly burst out laughing.

"Sit down and we'll fill you in!" Dean managed through tears of laughter. They did and a few minuets later they were both gaping as if they had been there when it happened.

"You can't be serious! This is some sort of elaborate prank!" Ron finally sputtered. Hermione closed her mouth and looked pensive for a moment. Ron turned to glare at her. "Say something Hermione! Tell me it's not true!"

"I think it must be Ron. Just think about how Harry has been acting lately, and how he wouldn't tell us what happened last night with Malfoy."

"He lost _fifty_ point because he was snogging _Malfoy!_"

"Nope, we got them all back thanks to Dumbledore!" Seamus cried cheerily and the others in the group nodded enthusiastically. Ron stared at them, then tried shaking his head to make the image of his friends smiling along with _Slytherins_ go away. It didn't.

"It means he's given them his blessing!" Pansy squealed like a first-year, causing Blaise to wince at her high-pitched voice because she had directed it straight into his ear.

"More likely Dumbledore thinks they've suffered enough from silly girls like you," he grumbled, causing Pansy to hit him on the head.

"It's romantic you… silly! Right Hermione?" She turned and smiled at the Gryffindor as if they had never exchanged anything but pleasantries.

"Sure… I guess," she said, still looking a bit dazed.

"See! Hermione understands."

"Yeah, but she's a girl and you lot have a screwed up perception on relationships, especially gay relationships," It was actually Neville who spoke, who for some reason had taken a keen interest in the whole debate. Blaise waved and nodded in his direction.

"Yeah, what Neville said!" The two boy's eyes met and both suddenly looked away, blushing, but no one noticed because Ron was suddenly speaking loudly again.

"But why couldn't Harry tell us! We're supposed to be his best friends!" He looked around the group, everybody suddenly quiet. No one could answer that one.

"We just have to assume he wanted to, but was afraid to… or that it all happened so fast he wasn't sure himself until just now. We'll ask him later, Ron." Hermione squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. Ron nodded and quickly started focusing on the easier things in life, like food for example. The group ate together, still discussing the finer points of what could have taken place that famous night. Nobody cared that they had suddenly become friendly with the enemy. I mean, if Harry and Draco, the great rivals, could fall in _love_, what was a dinner with a few talkative Slytherins or Gryffindors after all?

-:-

Do you think it should end there? I don't know. I _could_ write more about their relationship, but maybe I'll write a sequel instead of more chapters. This was after all just supposed to be a short fic. Tell me what you think! More chapters? Epilogue? Sequel? Nothing? Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: **Some language I think.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them… sad but true.

**Note**: This is the longest chapter yet I think! Which is why it took longer for me to update. Now allow me to say a few things. First:

Thanks soooooo much for the reviews!!! 97! That's incredible! Thank you!

I decided that this story still has a few chapters in it. Probably two (including this one)

Someone told me Ron needed to be an ass. And I realized it's always Ron who gets angry in a lot of H/D fics. So I decided to spice things up a bit! Hope you don't hate me. This story deserves a good resolution. Hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's a little darker than the others. Don't worry! It will all work out.

-:-

"We really need to get out of here," Draco remarked after what seemed like an eternity. The two boys were still in the staff room, and although it hadn't been an eternity yet, they had stayed there all through dinner. Luckily no one had tried to get through Draco's spells yet, which seemed a bit odd since there were no classes that day and surely some teachers liked to relax in the staff room to talk with other teachers on their day off. Little did they know that Headmaster Dumbledore had expressly asked the teachers to not go near the staff room, and even though many thought it highly offensive to be denied their only sacred place to congregate away from the students, the only protests were a few dubious looks and an occasional grunt (from Snape among others). It wasn't the first time the teachers had doubts about the Headmaster's ability to be rational.

"Yeah… wish I had my cloak with me," Harry said while looking wistfully at the door. He sighed and braced himself for the inevitable.

"Or we could just stay in here forever," Draco tried. The only answer he got was a snort. "Maybe we should run for it?" he ventured instead. Harry turned to look at him, his eyes narrow. Draco sighed. "Just so we can at least talk to our friends first rather than have to face whatever crowd happens to be in the Hall… if the whole school isn't waiting out there." Again Harry snorted.

"I doubt we're that interesting." (AN: I'd wait outside all day, wouldn't you?)

"Wouldn't put it past them," Draco said before the pair fell silent, both dreading the return to reality. Harry swallowed hard and put out his hand.

"Together?"

"You make it sound so gay," Draco mumbled, but took the offered hand nonetheless. They came to stand in front of the door, both taking a deep breath while Draco removed the spells he had placed on it earlier. Then they very quietly edged the door open. To their amazement, and _great_ relief the Hall before them was empty except for Filch. The caretaker kept walking back and forth as if he was patrolling, and he kept grunting and mumbling to himself.

"See, told you no one would be that desperate. Besides it's long passed dinner." Harry whispered before he stepped out of the room, dragging Draco along behind him. When they came into the light from the high windows above the entry doors to the castle Filch spun around and glared daggers at them. Harry quickly checked his watch and was relieved to see they hadn't stayed passed curfew.

"Bloody kids! Keep trying to loiter in the entrance hall! I know you're up to something and I'll find out what it is! Now get going!" Filch barked at them, thinking they too had come to stand around for no reason. Harry and Draco wasted no time in obliging the git, Draco suddenly taking the lead and running down to the dungeons.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as he was dragged unceremoniously down a dark corridor, though he put up no resistance.

"Kitchen, I'm starving. Aren't you?" As if in answer to Draco's question Harry's stomach gave a loud growl that echoed down the empty corridor. Draco snorted with laughter and Harry grinned sheepishly. When they came to the portrait Draco reached out and tickled the pear, but he didn't let go of Harry's hand, and Harry clung to Draco's as if he would fall away if he let go. Both felt as if they were holding on to a different reality that was so fragile they couldn't let it go for a second, but neither said anything about it as they walked hand in hand to find something to eat.

xxx

"Merlin, what a day!" Ron said wearily as he flopped down in front of the fire in the common room. Hermione sat down in the opposite couch, looking pensive. Dinner that day had lasted a bit longer than usual, the many new groups of friends not wanting to leave for different common rooms so early. When Dumbledore made the remainder of the food disappear however they didn't even have that excuse anymore so the Great Hall had emptied out slowly. The Slytherins and Gryffindors said their goodbyes, trying not to sound too disappointed, but many groups falling silent as they made their way to their respective common rooms, suddenly feeling the conversation falter when the group wasn't "whole." This was the case with Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus and Neville as they trudged towards Gryffindor tower. It was an eerie feeling to say the least. It was even scarier that it had happened so fast. The past day had been so focused on the Point Debate that the Gryffindors and Slytherins hadn't even noticed that they had somehow, totally without their knowledge, become… friends. And now it felt odd to discuss any theories further without everyone present, and that in turn felt even more odd. So Seamus and Dean tried to start up a different conversation, but found there really wasn't anything interesting to talk about at the moment, so when the group reached the common room they were all quiet.

"I think I'll go to bed," Neville said and left the common room without another word. The rest of the group stood fidgeting for a while, as if they were all guilty of something. As if they only now realized they had spent almost the entire day talking with Slytherins. Perhaps they would have laughed if they had known that at that very moment the Slytherins were doing exactly the same, though a few of them looked downright shameful as well as guilty. The rest of the group slowly made their way after Neville, only Ron and Hermione remained behind at last.

"Hermione?" Ron finally realized she hadn't said anything. He looked at her and noticed the same dazed expression she had worn at dinner. In fact now that he thought about she had hardly said a word through dinner, and that dazed expression hadn't left her face once. "Hermione?" He tried again. She seemed to wake a bit.

"Hmmm?" She lifted her eyes to Ron's, but they were empty of any emotion, something Ron found disconcerting.

"Are you thinking… about Harry? You look as if you're not sure about something. You think they're not… in love?" Hermione shook her head as she looked into the fire.

"No, it's not that. Logic tells me it's true. Harry has been sneaking off in the evenings throughout the year. It makes perfect sense now." Her voice was very calm and monotone. Ron shifted uneasily in his chair.

"Then… are you upset about it? It's natural to be I guess. I mean I sure as hell was surprised, but then again it makes sense in a strange sort of way." Ron frowned, thinking hard. "I guess I won't be completely ok with it until I hear the whole story from Harry, but him and Draco… they kind of fit… right?" Hermione's eyes suddenly snapped back from the fire, suddenly full of emotion.

"Oh, so it's Draco now? Just like that?" She snapped.

"What? No! I mean, well, Harry's made his choice hasn't he?" Ron exclaimed wide-eyed. "The guy deserves a bit of happiness. Hell, if anyone does-"

"Well, maybe he could have found _happiness_ somewhere else."

"What!? Hermione! What's with you? I hate Draco as much as the next guy, but if Harry sees something in him then… look are you upset that Harry's, you know… gay?"

"Oh, honestly Ronald!" Hermione yelled as she leapt to her feet. Ron jumped back in his chair, looking very afraid. "What to you take me for? I couldn't care less that Harry is gay."

"Well, it certainly doesn't sound that way," Ron said before he could stop himself. He was suddenly on his feet as well, the two glaring at each other.

"Look," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "I'm not mad at you. I don't care if Harry is gay. I don't have a problem with it at all. I just… need to take a walk." And with that she swept out of the common room in a flurry of robes that would have made Snape proud, or at the very least not taken points away from Gryffindor. Ron stood staring after her for a few moments before flopping back down on the couch with a great sigh and a shake of his head.

xxx

Down in the kitchens two boys had just finished devouring a regular feast, the size of which would have made Dudley proud, or rather green with jealousy and a fair amount of drooling. Afterwards Harry and Draco walked through the castle aimlessly, neither wanting to leave the other for their common room just yet, and neither daring to admit as much either. They therefore roamed empty corridors in an agreeable silence. After a while they turned a corner somewhere of the sixth floor and stopped abruptly. At the other end of the corridor Hermione mimicked their reaction.

"Hermione," Harry called down the corridor. She didn't answer, but instead turned and ran in the opposite direction. Harry frowned. "Hermione!" He called again, louder this time, but she didn't stop. "I need to go after her. See you tomorrow?" He turned to Draco, who nodded and gave a sympathetic smile Harry wasn't completely sure was genuine. Draco didn't have a very good record when it came to Harry's friends. He didn't take time to contemplate this however, and after a quick peck on Draco's cheek he sprinted after Hermione.

Harry stopped when he reached a very long empty corridor with at least five doors along the walls (that he knew of). He felt instinct take over and walked quietly over to the first door and opened it. Inside he saw a classroom he had never been in, possibly Arithmancy. Hermione sat on one of the desks, looking at her hands.

"Hermione?" Harry took a few tentative steps towards her. "I know I should have told you guys I was gay sooner, but it just never seemed like the right moment. I wasn't sure how you would react." Hermione didn't look up, but shook her head slightly.

"I don't care, Harry. And neither does Ron." Harry breathed a sigh a relief. His stomach unclenched and he stepped further towards Hermione. Suddenly he noticed she still had an almost sad expression. He frowned, uncertain.

"You're not… you don't… is it…" Harry couldn't bring himself to ask, but Hermione seemed to guess his question.

"No, Harry, I don't fancy you." Another sigh of relief escaped him, but again she didn't move or say anything so he figured there was still something to be said.

"Listen… I know I should have told you, about Draco, but… it sort of just… happened."

"It just sort of happened? You just sort of started snogging Malfoy, someone who has been a complete asshole to us as long as we've known him?" Hermione spoke calmly, as if she was just explaining something complicated Harry didn't understand, but this made it sound even more disturbing. Harry had never heard Hermione swear like that before. He swallowed hard, unsure of what to do next. "And since when do you call him Draco? Is that something he only allows those who snog him to do?" She continued, her voice rising a little.

"Now, Hermione, that's not fair. You haven't let me explain everything-"

"What's there to explain?" She cut him off, finally looking up at him. Her eyes were a little red, but the rest of her face was expressionless. "You went behind our back and let Malfoy manipulate you. There's a reason you didn't tell us. Because you knew it was wrong!"

"Stop this, Hermione!" Harry yelled, suddenly overwhelmed with anger. "What the hell is wrong with you? This isn't you, Hermione. You're never this… illogical."

"Illogical!?" She leapt to her feet and glared at Harry. The Gryffindor suddenly felt fear creep into his heart. The girl was the best in their year after all, and her wand hand visibly twitched as she stood glaring at him, her chest heaving and her eyes full of fury. "_I'm _the one who's not myself? It's bloody Malfoy, Harry!"

"He's not in his father's shadow anymore! If you'll just let me explain!"

"It has nothing to do with his father! It's _him_. He's done nothing but be a horrible arrogant scumbag since the moment I met him!" And with that she stormed out of the classroom. Harry didn't dare stop her. He had never seen her in such a mood before. He was sure sparks would have shot of out her eyes if he had tried to stop her. He waited about ten minutes before making his way back to Gryffindor tower, feeling more and more miserable along the way.

xxx

Harry entered the Gryffindor common room after taking several detours. He wasn't sure why, but it felt good to walk anyway. Inside he found Ron still sitting in front of the fireplace, the only one left awake. Harry made his way wearily over to the couch and sat down next to Ron without a word said. They sat staring into the flames, the new tension palpable between them. Finally Ron gave a long sigh and glanced over at Harry who returned the tired gaze briefly.

"So… how mad is Hermione? You ran into her if the look on her face was anything to go by." Harry's brow furrowed at the question. He had expected something else, though he wasn't exactly sure what. Maybe he had been anticipating Ron's anger to explode in his face any moment. He didn't know what to say so he just shrugged. "You can't blame her, I guess." Harry nodded, even though he would have liked to argue. "She has had to put up with a lot of crap from Malfoy over the years."

"So have you," Harry replied before he could stop himself. He turned his attention away from the fire and looked Ron in the eyes. The redhead shrugged.

"Being called poor now and again, you get used to that. But… I think those insults aren't nearly as bad as… some of the things he calls Hermione."

"He hasn't insulted either of you in months."

"I know that." Even though Harry didn't want to ask, for fear of drawing attention to something perhaps best left unexamined, but before he could Ron continued as if in answer to his unasked question. "Which is why I'm not mad. Not yet. I'm willing to let you try to explain first. But it better be damn good, Harry." Harry nodded, unsure where to begin. The whole day had been very emotionally extreme. Now his two best friends were acting as if they had changed bodies or something. Ron looked even more like Hermione when he raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Tell me where all this started, Harry." And so Harry did. He began slowly, but after a while the words poured forth and a feeling of relief spread through him because he was finally able to tell his best friend everything. He told Ron about how he had started walking the corridors at night, a way to get away from the nightmares and his grief over Sirius' death. How he had been obsessed with Draco ever since he had returned to school. How he wanted to find out if Draco had truly gone over to Voldermort after Lucius got sent to Azkaban. He told about his first encounter with Draco, who had also taken to nightly strolls. How he the first few nights had simply followed the Slytherin, and concluded he wasn't up to anything, at least not during the night. Then one night he was sick of hiding, just as he was sick of… everything. That night went something like this:

"_Potter," Draco's voice was unsure, his expression full of suspicion. Harry couldn't have told anyone why he had chosen that moment to removed his cloak after following Draco around for so long. "What are you doing? Spying on me?" _

_"Yes." Harry's eyes bore into Draco's. The honest surprised the Slytherin, though he tried to hide it. The two rivals stood facing each other, their wand hands hanging seemingly lazily by their sides, but both in reality tenser than ever and ready for anything. "Why do you walk Malfoy?" _

_"None of your business," Draco snapped. _

_"I walk too," Harry said calmly. _

_"Why?" Draco asked, genuinely interested why the Golden Boy would wander away from his Gryffindor friends. _

_"I'm not sure. I feel like I'll explode if I don't," Harry shrugged. Malfoy nodded, though he was obviously confused why Harry was answering him. Silence ensued. Draco shifted uneasily. He decided he liked it when he and Harry were fighting more, but couldn't find anything to say now that Harry was acting so strange. It was as if he knew the Gryffindor wouldn't rise to the challenge. _

_"Well, fun as this no doubt was for you. I don't want to waste my time with you. Now move." Draco made to walk past Harry, but the Gryffindor suddenly jumped in front of Draco, blocking his escape. _

_"Do you have some place you'd rather be, Malfoy?" Harry grinned. "I know you don't go anywhere. All you do is your usual round up to the Astronomy tower and back. Aren't you sick of it? I am. I'm sick of everything. Sick of Voldermort chasing me. Sick of feeling sad. Sick of wondering about you. Sick of thinking about you. Sick of everybody looking at me like I'm some crazy person. I'm just so!..." Harry stopped, realizing his teasing comment had suddenly turned into a full-fledged rant. He stared at Draco, who stared equally shocked back. "So," Harry continued once his breathing was back to normal. "Don't you think there's something we could do that would take our minds off our problems?" Harry's eyes glanced almost imperceptibly, and probably unconsciously down to Draco's lips and that did it. Draco grabbed at Harry's robe and pushed the Gryffindor into the wall, just hard enough. Before Harry had time to get his thoughts around this new development his mouth was being ravished by another, and he was kissing back with equal force. They kissed like their lives depended on it, drowning their frustration over their own situation through the kiss. It felt like letting go, yet they were clinging to each other so hard it hurt. Harry thought he was going to explode before, but it was nothing like the explosive feelings that were coursing through his body now, but it was a different kind of explosion (AN: Though still emotional! Get your mind out of the gutter!) and one that made all other thoughts drain away. For the first time since Sirius' death he wasn't thinking about anything important, and it felt damn good. _

And that had been the start of it. At first it was like a release, then later it became a game, and in the end it had become so much more. Harry told Ron about how they had at first not talked about anything important, that would have defeated the purpose of their encounters. And at first Draco didn't treat Harry any differently during the day, but that had changed, albeit slowly, almost unnoticeably. Sometime in December Draco had told Harry he didn't blame him for his father's imprisonment. He had said it just as they had parted ways one night, and neither had mentioned it afterwards. Then after Christmas Draco had come back even more changed. By the end of January Harry had basically assumed Draco wasn't going to join Voldermort. A few weeks later Draco had confirmed this in the same way as last time, and again neither had spoken about it. None of them had truly realized that they were meeting for entirely different reasons suddenly.

"Wow… bloody hell," Ron said in a whisper when Harry had finished his tale. Harry only nodded, feeling drained but still glad he had finally gotten to explain it all. "So… now…"

"We're in love," Harry finished.

"Wow."

"You said that."

"I… well… If your sure that-"

"He's on the right side. I know. I know him… better than anyone I think." Ron nodded before they both fell silent, back to staring into the fire.

"It's ok, Harry. I mean. You're my friend and I want you to be happy. It's going to take a little getting used to, but if all you said is true then…" Ron looked at Harry, who couldn't suppress a grin.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I gave up on being mad at you. I usually end up the one being wrong anyway." They both gave small chuckle; the tension was starting to break. "Hermione might need a while longer though."

"I know."

"Don't worry. She'll get there. She's Hermione."

"I know."

-:-

Wow. Long chapter! Did you like it? Hate it? Please let me know either way. Sorry if there were a lot of mistakes in this one. I think my English is suffering because I don't have time to read as much of it lately.

Little hint about next chapter: This story is called "Losing Points, Gaining Something Else." Let's just say that we aren't done with losing points just yet ;-)

Remember to review! Perhaps this will be my first fic to reach 100 reviews???? That would be soooooo cool. (Feeling very giddy all of a sudden)


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning:** none in this chapter except a wizarding insult.

**Disclaimer:** see first chapter.

**Notes**: WOW so many reviews!!! Thank you all so much! I never imagined this story would be so popular when my sister told me to write a funny one shot about Harry and Draco losing points while snogging. I'm still in shock really. Thank you!

I know this chapter isn't as long as the last one, but I thought you'd rather have short chapters and more updates (and therefore more chapters) than having to wait until I finish a really long one.

Anyway I know many had mixed feelings about the whole Hermione situation. In this chapter I'll try to explain her reasons more fully. I just want to make it clear that I don't hate Hermione or anything. In fact I think I like Ron less. But I was just trying to be original I guess. Hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!

-:-

On Monday morning the students from all houses stepped slightly hesitantly into the Great Hall. There was silence at first, especially between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Neither house was completely sure if the animosity between the houses had returned and that perhaps the weekend had been some strange dream they had all shared. It was one of the Gryffindor sixth years that finally took some of their famous courage to use and walked boldly over to the Slytherin table to chat. The ice broke and soon the old Point Debate groups had formed again, this time talking about other things as well. The Headmaster beamed from seat at the head table. Indeed even Snape seemed to have no problem with the new friendships. If anybody questioned the new seating arrangements so to speak, they were quickly silence and reminded of the Sorting Hat's song and about the importance of house unity.

When Harry Potter entered the Great Hall a hush fell over the students, which was quickly replaced with rather loud whispers and a fair amount of snickering when Draco Malfoy joined his side. The snickering again turned into a collective "awww!" from the girls in first year through fourth when the two rivals joined hands and smiled to each other. Harry produced a gold galleon from his pocket and threw it in the air, an easy way to decide which table to sit at. By making sure everybody saw it they managed to not offend the other house (it had been Draco's idea). So when the couple made their way over to the Slytherin table they were followed only by nods of approval. Dumbledore gave a small chuckle at the ingenuity of such a simple gesture. Seamus, Dean and Neville entered the hall and quickly sat down at the Slytherin table when Blaise called them over. The group fell into an easy conversation about Quiddith, as if the new couple sitting in their midst wasn't new at all. The piece of toast making it's way to Harry's mouth stopped as the Gryffindor tensed when he caught sight of Ron and Hermione walking into the hall. Hermione did not look in his direction and Ron only gave a vague shrug as he followed her to the Gryffindor table.

"I would like to say a few words," Dumbledore said after clearing his throat and making the hall fall silent instantly. "Over the course of one weekend this school has experience something completely novel. Never before have students from different houses spent so much time together. I would like to thank two students, who I'm sure know who they are, in particular for leading the way in house unity." Draco and Harry blushed and looked down at their plates while the rest of the group grinned. Seamus elbowed Harry in the side and beamed proudly. "I am even more glad that the events that are directly responsible for discontinuing the rivalry happened this year. We all know that the time is coming when house unity will be more important than ever before. I therefore urge you all not to slip back into old divisions, but keep nurturing the friendships you have found. Thank you. Now enjoy your breakfast." The moment the Headmaster sat back down the students continued their conversations with renewed force, and many students finally braved the divide and walked over to other tables. It was truly an amazing moment, even though Harry felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Why should friendship with students from a different house be impossible? It wasn't, far from it in fact.

Harry watched his friends (which meant now that he was in fact watching the Slytherins as well) with a small smile on his face. Even though he couldn't help but feel the absence of Ron and Hermione he also couldn't help but fell relieved that everything had turned out so well for the whole school.

"Could you pass the pumpkin juice Neville?" It was Blaise who asked, and Harry noted the blush on Neville's face when their hands brushed against each other as the boy handed the pitcher over. Harry suddenly had an epiphany and a grin spread across his face. Casually taking the pitcher offered silently by Blaise he filled his glass while he just as casually started speaking without looking at the pair sitting across from him and Draco.

"So, Neville. What exactly were you doing in the dungeons on a Friday night?" Neville dropped his knife, while Blaise started sputtering since he had been unfortunate enough to be in the middle of drinking his juice. Draco laughed, as did Pansy while the other Gryffindors and Nott simply gaped.

"You didn't tell me you ran into them! Why didn't you tell me? Could have saved us a lot of speculation!" Blaise stopped mid speech when he realized that all eyes were on him. He met Harry's eyes and saw that they were glinting with mischief. He sighed and couldn't help a chuckle escape him. He looked over at Neville who nodded faintly.

"Alright… me and Neville… well there's no point hiding it now is there? With the house unity and all that."

"Looks like you guys were the real forerunners of house unity." Pansy and Draco snickered at Harry's comment, the others still a bit shocked.

"We've been seeing each other since Christmas in fifth year," Neville suddenly spoke up, looking about with his head held high as if daring someone to say something. Even Harry looked shocked at this revelation.

"Really? Wow… well congrats guys. We're all happy for you. Right?" Harry prodded Seamus in the side. He came to his senses and nodded.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?" Murmurs of approval came from everyone and the "old" couple smiled and joined their hands under the table.

"Go on! Gives us a kiss then!" Pansy squealed, Blaise instinctively putting a finger in his left ear so shield it from her high-pitched voice. He leaned over to the shorter Gryffindor and placed a sweet kiss to the boy's cheek, who in turn blushed and returned it with a chaste kiss on the lips. The rest of breakfast was spent in jovial conversation, the two couples keeping their fingers entwined under the table.

xxx

Over at the Gryffindor table Ron sat quietly eating his food with less gusto than usual. He and Hermione sat alone at the end of the table. There was a fair amount of Slytherins sitting at there, along with a good few Hufflepuffs and the occasional Ravenclaw. Neither Ron nor Hermione seemed to take any notice. Finally Ron couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Are you going to stay mad at his forever, 'Mione?" Hermione stopped eating, but didn't look up from her plate.

"You can go sit with him, Ron. I don't mind."

"Hermione! I want to sit with you. I'm still Harry's friend, but I'm your friend too. If I can accept it, why can't you? Just think about what it's done to the school."

"I'm glad the houses are getting along, Ron. And I'm glad Harry is happy." Hermione finally looked up, a blank expression on her face. "But can't you understand how I feel? Malfoy has done nothing except say terrible things to me since I first saw him. He has addressed me with _mudblood_ more often than my name. And now out of the blue Harry says he's in _love _with him? Someone who uses words like that… someone that mean can't be worthy of Harry's love." Ron nodded. He understood, how could he not? He had felt Draco's insults too, though they were perhaps not as severe, but he had learned to ignore them. And he had noticed that Draco hadn't gotten into a fight with them since the start of the year.

"You know… he hasn't said much to any of us all year."

"I know that Ron… which also means he hasn't said he's sorry for any of it either."

"You want an apology?"

"No, well, it wouldn't hurt." Hermione looked down again, sadness in her voice. "I just want to have some concrete evidence that he's really changed." Ron nodded, though he had no idea how that could be accomplished. They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. Ron kept glancing over Hermione's left shoulder to look at Harry and Draco.

-:-

There you go. The point losing will be in the next chapter I guess. Please tell me if you liked it. I hope Hermione's feelings are a bit clearer now. Thanks once again for all the reviews!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning:** none in this chapter.

**Disclaimer**: See first chapter.

**Note**: I hope you don't hate me because of this chapter. It kind of mirrors the first chapter because things happen that you don't fully understand until you read the next chapter. So sorry, but I love a good mystery ;-) Enjoy and don't forget to review!

-:-

During the course of the day the newest couple could be found exchanging both chaste kisses and having full-out snogging sessions in between lessons, despite the fact that they didn't share any classes that day, nor did their paths usually cross between classes. By the end of the day the sight of the two ex-rivals kissing was considered old-news, even the first-years didn't get all that excited anymore. The house unity however did still feel new, and was kept strong despite not having the loss of points to unite them. Instead the very presence of the new couple became a reminder that their new friendships needed to last.

Monday faded and Tuesday arrived bright and early. The Great Hall still looked like a melting pot for the different houses, the house tables now almost completely obsolete. One thing that did go unnoticed was the fact that Slytherin had lost twenty points since yesterday. This was hardly a large amount of points compared to last time points went missing during the night, and because few checked the number of points every evening before bed it was hardly mentioned at all. Only a few Ravenclaws wondered which Slytherin had been caught out of bed. It could surely not have been Draco Malfoy, for then Harry Potter no doubt would also have been caught. It was quickly forgotten however, and the points earned back just as quickly.

After lessons finished that day Harry Potter could be found sitting against a tree out on the grounds, along with a very satisfied looking Draco Malfoy leaning against him. Both boys kept their eyes shut so the sun wouldn't get in their eyes.

"You've changed," Harry murmured, his chest rising with a long contented sigh.

"I have?" Draco raised an eyebrow, though no one could see it.

"Hmm," came the affirmative response. "But in a good way of course. And you're still you… in fact I think you're more you now than you were before." Silence followed, but not the uncomfortable kind. Draco shifted slightly to get into an even more cosy position. His head fell back to rest on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry?"

"Hmm."

"The school year is almost over."

"Don't say that. There's still time."

"Time spent like this is always short…" Harry snaked his hand into Draco's and squeezed while he placed a small kiss on the Slytherin's cheek. They had almost fallen asleep when Draco spoke again.

"I can't go back."

"What?" Harry opened his eyes and looked down at Draco, but the other boy kept his eyes closed.

"I can't go back to the Manor. Even if my mother doesn't know I've switched sides I can't stay there… pretending. I can't pretend anymore. Ever. What if she found out? What if my father escapes Azkaban and comes for me?"

"It's ok, Draco. I'm sure we'll think of something. I've always been one to live one day at a time. You're on our side now, which means we'll protect you. I'll protect you." Draco seemed to relax at his words and the two fell silent one more. After what seemed like hours Draco suddenly whispered.

"Thank you." It was barely audible, but Harry heard it and put his arms around the blonde. Nothing more was needed. They stayed like that, even though the sun was making them sweat in their black robes. Suddenly they could hear someone approaching. Draco opened one eye and saw Ron walking towards them. He gently pushed Harry's arms away and made to stand up, but Harry suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back down.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked, his eyes still closed.

"Well, actually I was trying that new thing you said I had to do."

"Really… what thing?"

"Being nice to your friends even though I can hardly stand them." At this Harry squeezed hard around Draco's waist, but not so much it hurt. Draco chuckled. "Ron's coming over and I didn't want to make him uncomfortable."

"Sod Ron. I'm too comfortable to care." Draco laughed at this and snuggled back into Harry.

"Fine by me," he said, closing his eyes just as Ron was nearing them. The redhead stood surveying the pair for a while before he sat down on the grass in front of them. After a short silence he prodded Harry's foot with his own. Both boys opened their eyes.

"Hey," Harry said.

"Hey," Ron answered, his eyes gliding over the lake before coming to rest on the couple once again.

"Are you alright? With this I mean?" Harry asked, gesturing to his lap full of Draco. Ron shook his head absentmindedly.

"Yeah, sure. You guys are old news mate. If you want to see something weird you should go watch Zabini and Neville. I'm telling you that Slytherin is whipped. It's fun though. I never imagined Neville could look so much like Hermione when he's cross." They all laughed, even Draco, before silence reigned once again, this time with a definite tense atmosphere.

"So, Ron. Was there anything in particular that you wanted?" Ron looked at his hands, then back at the lake before shaking his head.

"Nah. Hermione went to the library so I thought I'd come spend some time with you guys. I know I've been kind of absent." Harry smiled at the fact that Ron had used "you guys" instead of just referring to Harry.

"That's ok, Ron. I know you can't pick sides. And I wouldn't want Hermione to be left alone either. Besides I have Draco now so I'll be fine. Not that we don't want your company, right?" He nudged at Draco who tore his eyes away from the lake where they had been gazing for a long while.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah sure." Ron studied Draco for a moment, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Draco. Where's your Prefect badge?" Draco's eyes glanced down at his robes before looking at Ron with a blank expression.

"What?" He asked as if he hadn't heard the question.

"I said where's you badge? You always were it. I can't remember seeing you without it since you got it. Just like Percy." Harry stretched his neck a bit over Draco's shoulder to look down at the Slytherin's robes.

"Hey, he's right. Where is it?"

"It's nowhere… I didn't put it on today. And for your information I don't always wear it. What you should be focusing on Harry is the fact that your Weasel has been noticing what I wear." Harry nudged Draco again a little more forcefully at the nickname. Draco sighed. "Fine, _Ron's_ been checking me out. Aren't you outraged?"

"No, not really." Draco made an indignant sound and crossed his arms over his chest. Harry only chuckled and put his arms over Draco's in a hug.

"Look. It's Hermione." Harry and Draco followed Ron's gaze and saw that indeed Hermione was making her way over. She didn't look angry so Harry breathed a small sigh of relief. Draco made to get up again, but Harry held him in place. When she stood over the three of them she didn't look at Harry, or Ron, but at Draco. Finally he caved at the scrutiny and looked up at her.

"Can I speak with you, Draco?" Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered looks, but Draco only nodded and got up.

"I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder as he walked away with Hermione. They came to a stop just out of earshot, but clearly visible to Harry and Ron. They stood facing each other, neither looking the other in the eye.

"Listen, Draco. About last night-"

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Harry," Draco cut her off. She bit her lip, nodding. "I don't except you to change your opinion of me just because of what I did. I'm not going to grow fond of you all of a sudden either. But Harry means everything to me so…"

"I get it, Draco. I really do. And I believe you. I believe everything that is."

"You do?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I like you… I'm just doing this for Harry, like you."

"For once we agree on something, Granger." Silence fell for a few moments while Draco gathered his courage. He tried to look her in the eye, but found it was impossible to say anything then. He settled on looking at the lake over her shoulder.

"There's one more thing. I may not agree with my father's politics anymore, but I am a Malfoy, and Malfoys were once a noble house. A house I will make noble again some day. And a Malfoy admits it when he's wrong. We have nothing if not good-manners. So… I guess this probably doesn't mean much to you, but… I'm… sorry. I'm sorry for saying horrible things to you." He finished the last sentence in a rush and didn't look back at Hermione. He therefore couldn't see the shocked look on her face, nor the smile that gradually replaced it. When a hand rested on his shoulder he looked down at it. He then looked up at Hermione, the shock in his eyes now.

"Thank you for that," she almost whispered. He nodded numbly and they made their way back silently to the other two.

Meanwhile back with Harry and Ron…

"What do you suppose they're talking about?" Ron asked after the two had stopped and faced each other.

"Dunno, but they're not drawing their wands so it doesn't look like it's anything bad." The two watched in silent contemplation for a while.

"Is it me? Or did your future girlfriend just touch _my_ boyfriend's shoulder?" Harry exclaimed suddenly. Ron gaped at the pair, Harry noting he didn't argue about Hermione's title. When Draco and Hermione came back the four stared at each other for a while. Suddenly Hermione flung herself down into Harry's arms.

"I'm sorry I took so long." Harry kept staring at Draco as he shakily returned the hug.

"That's ok. It was only two days. I think we'll all live." Hermione rose to her feet and smiled.

"Great. I'll just be in the library then." And with that she turned, giving a polite nod to Ron and Draco, and left just as quickly as she had come.

"What on earth did you say to her?" Harry asked after she had disappeared inside the castle. Draco just shrugged and got into Harry's lap again.

"Nothing interesting."

-:-

Did you like it? Are you wondering what could have happened? Review and maybe I'll tell you in the next chapter! Just kidding, you'll find out no matter what, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't review!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Warnings**: Fluff warning!!! This chapter contains a high level of fluff. You have been warned!!!

**Disclaimer**: see first chapter.

**Note**: Here it is! The LAST CHAPTER! WOW. I have a few things to say:

1. Thank you all SO MUCH for all the reviews. The amount of feedback is beyond anything I could ever have imagined. So thank you!

2. I am so glad I decided to continue this to its proper end. There is always the possibility of a sequel, but it I'm not planning one now. If inspiration ever strikes however, I'll be back!

3. This chapter starts with the missing scene between Draco and Hermione. I hope you all enjoy it and I apologies for those who like Hermione to the point where they never want her to make mistakes. She is human however (well, not really) and I believe it is possible even for her to be a little prejudiced.

Thank you for sticking with this story for so long! I love you all!

-:-

On Monday night almost every student was fast asleep. Draco Malfoy wasn't. He made his way stealthily out of his dorm and through the Slytherin common room. Even though the dungeons were barely lit he found his way easily from memory. He was going to surprise Harry. Earlier that day he had managed to get Blaise to get the password from Neville. All for a good cause of course, Draco thought as he turned into the potions corridor where he stopped dead in his tracks. A light was coming from the potions classroom and since Draco knew Snape was no doubt out patrolling the rest of the school he knew it was most likely not the professor. Draco considered not bothering to tell the student off. He would have to take points as well, which he wasn't in the mood for, and to top it all off it would take valuable time away from Harry and him. His hand went up to unconsciously touch his Prefect badge that was permanently attached to his robes. He sighed and made his way towards the classroom.

He opened the door after casting a silencing spell on it to make sure it didn't creak. Inside the room was empty, but the light source was now obvious. It was coming from a wand inside the storeroom. He crept along the row of desks and peered inside the storeroom without opening the door further. Unfortunately he couldn't suppress the gasp that came when he saw who was trying to steal potion ingredients in the middle of the night. He saw the witch in question tense when she heard the noise and start to turn. Draco, with seeker reflexes, pulled the door open and took a step inside; his wand already raised by the time the witch had spun around.

"Granger," he drawled, trying to hide his bewilderment. Hermione looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, then eyed the wand warily before she held her hands up. She was holding two bottles of ingredients in each hand, her wand was lying on a shelf, casting it's light on them. Draco made a quick mental note of each of the ingredients before Hermione very slowly placed them back on the shelf to her left. Draco decided that she wasn't going try and hex him so he slowly put his wand away, causing Hermione to frown slightly.

"Malfoy," she stated doubtfully.

"What are you doing, Granger? I thought you usually left the midnight strolls to your boyfriend and Harry. Or don't they want to do your dirty work for you anymore?" he spat. He saw her tense, but she didn't move. They both knew she was in a lot of trouble if Draco breathed a word of it, which he was contemplating at that very moment. Suddenly the door to the classroom burst open and by the time the two Prefects had turned around to face their doom, Snape was already towering over them, the light from Hermione's wand making his features even more prominent and daunting.

"What is going on here? Stealing potions ingredients no doubt. Explain yourselves," Snape snarled. He looked at Draco and Hermione one after the other and seemed to come to his own conclusions fairly quickly. "Mr. Malfoy. I presume you have finally caught Granger here in the act. I have my suspicions she has stolen from me more than once before. Good work."

"No, sir," Draco spoke before he could stop himself; before he even had time to think about what he was about to do. Hermione and Snape stared at him in disbelief. He swallowed hard and tried to meet his Head of House's piercing gaze. "It is the other way around I'm afraid." He was suddenly feeling very short and he wondered vaguely if Snape was wearing high heels. The Potions Master opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. He shook his head as if he wasn't sure he had heard right. Then he drew himself up even more if that was possible and fixed Draco with a glare that made his blood run cold.

"I am very disappointed in you, Draco," he said, his voice threatening to break into a shout. The fact that he had used Draco's first name made it even worse. "Twenty points from Slytherin." Draco blinked. Snape didn't say anything more, but his face told Draco that he was thinking up more punishments. When no more was forthcoming however Draco forced himself to speak.

"Eh, Sir… not that I'm complaining, but why so few?"

"Because I'm not finished. Slytherin should not suffer more deeply than you… First you will have detention with me on Fridays for the next two months." Draco nodded, that was actually less detentions than expected. "Second you will… hand over your Prefect badge." Snape held out his hand, waiting. Hermione gave a little gasp, but Draco said nothing. He just sighed and removed the badge from robes and placed it on Snape's outstretched palm. For a moment it looked like Snape regretted it, but he quickly put on a scowl and gestured for the door.

"Now, out!" The two students didn't need telling twice. "And I will be making sure you are back in bed." They heard Snape's voice from behind as they exited the classroom, making their spines shiver slightly. Once they were a good distance from the classroom they both stopped. Draco looked in the direction of his common room, but he could feel Hermione's eyes boring into the side of his head.

"What?" He finally snapped, turning to face her, a glare in place.

"Malfoy," she began, but he cut her off.

"I didn't do it for you. Don't think that for a second! I don't care what you think of me. I never have and I never will, but for some reason Harry cares and that's why I needed to convince you. And for some reason beyond my understanding I thought that saving your pathetic arse would help. Now however I'm thinking that may have been the most stupid thing I've ever done because you're probably not convinced in the least. Whatever, I don't care! But you should think about Harry and the fact that he needs your friendship! Especially now!" Draco stopped his rant, breathing heavily. Hermione looked like her eyes would pop out of their sockets. She took a deep breath.

"I… Thanks." Draco frowned. Hermione went on, trying to explain. "I can't tell you how much it means to me. I mean… I think I'd go mad if I'd lost my badge. I-" Draco waved his hand and cut her off again.

"Please, spare me. I couldn't care less. I never wanted to be a Prefect, my father did. Sure the power's good and all, but it gets boring really fast. Too much work for not enough perks. Save your speech for someone else…" Draco made to leave, but then changed his mind and looked Hermione straight in the eye. "I knew you didn't think much of me, Granger, but I never imagined your opinion of me was quite this low." Hermione stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Oh, please. You may be the only insufferable know-it-all at this school, but I do have a decent amount of knowledge in potions myself. I saw those ingredients and listing all the possible potions there is only one I would think you would want to make considering the circumstances." Hermione looked away and started fidgeting with her school tie. Draco smirked. "An anti-love potion. Honestly, Granger, what do you take me for? If you just take the bloody time and _look_ at us together you would see Harry is not acting as if he's under the influence of any potion!"

"Well, you're not exactly the most trustworthy of people are you?! I needed to be sure!" They glared at each other for a while before Draco smirked again.

"Of course. Granger needs documented proof or else my word is worth nothing. Pathetic. Did you even ask Harry why he trusts me before you resorted to stealing?" Hermione said nothing, but kept glaring. "I didn't think so. That is sad, even for you." Draco turned and was about to leave for the second time, but stopped to look at Hermione over his shoulder. "You know, Granger. I always imagined it would be so satisfying to finally have a legitimate reason for telling you off and calling you pathetic… but it's not. Not at all." And then Hermione was left alone in the dungeon corridor. She took in a few shaky breaths, looking around and listening to hear if Snape was approaching. Everything was quiet so she made her way out of the dungeons as quickly as possible and practically ran all the way to the Gryffindor common room. When she finally fell exhausted onto her bed she thought that even though she had perhaps jumped to conclusions this time, she definitely wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Even though she still hated Malfoy she would give him the benefit of the doubt and observe the couple together properly the next day. She would also ask Ron to tell her if Harry had explained why he trusted Malfoy. New plan firmly in place she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of potions gone wrong.

xxx

The rest of the year was spent in a more jovial atmosphere than anyone thought possible at the beginning of the year. Gryffindor won the House Cup, as well as the Quiddith Cup. But even though a few students wore sour faces, most simply congratulated the winning house. The bond between the houses reached a new high at the leaving feast when the entire Gryffindor house insisted on foregoing the traditional decorations and instead decorated the Great Hall in all the house colours, much to the rest of the students' delight. Harry and Draco flipped their now traditional gold galleon and sat at the Gryffindor table, along with _all_ their friends. After the meal Dumbledore rose for one last speech.

"Never in all my years have I seen so many completely happy faces in one room. Which is all the more amazing considering what times we live in. But we should not dwell on that, but enjoy these last moments together. I wanted only to say that I hope you will all return next year, and keep this new tradition going. You have made Hogwarts History this year, each and every one of you. Even if it did all start by the loss of a few points, the things we have gained this year I hope shall last for a long time. Thank you." The whole Hall erupted in applause as the Headmaster sat down. Many students turned to hug each other, or in the case of Harry and Draco to give a chaste kiss. Hermione and Ron, along with the rest of the table, were beaming at them. The applause didn't die down for ten minutes, and even then Dumbledore had to gesture for the students to settle down, but the smile never left his face.

On the Hogwarts Express nearly every compartment held within it at least one representative from each house. In the last compartment the trio, or quartet now, sat without any Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs, but we wont hold that against them. Ron and Hermione sat opposite Harry and Draco, everyone smiling and just enjoying each other's company.

"So, Draco. Where are you going to be during the holidays?" Ron asked. Draco smiled and turned to Harry who answered for him.

"He's going to be staying with me. Dumbledore arranged it, though I don't want to know what he told the Dursleys to convince them. It's only until my birthday, then we're off to Order Headquarters."

"I'll see you guys there then. You'll be there too, right Hermione?"

"Of course, Ron," Hermione said, smiling. Draco and Harry exchanged grins.

"Don't forget to write to each other now," Harry said casually, the grin never leaving his face.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "It's always nice to express your _feelings_ in a letter. So much easier. Right, Harry?"

"Oh, yes, very much so." Harry nodded. "But it wouldn't hurt you to express some of those feelings now. That way you'd have more to talk about in the letters."

"What a good idea, Harry!" Draco said and kissed his boyfriend's cheek. Ron stared at them blankly, while Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'll express my feeling now so long as you two _never_ act like that again," Hermione pleaded. Draco and Harry laughed.

"Well?" Draco asked after they had finished. Hermione sighed and turned to look at Ron, who still had a blank expression on his face.

"Ron. I like you." Ron's face didn't change. Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "As more than a friend," she clarified. This seemed to get a response from Ron who raised his eyebrows to previously unknown heights.

"Oh. Oh! Eh, right. Sure. I mean, eh, I, I like you too."

"Ever the eloquent one," Draco said, but playfully. Harry nudged him, also playfully.

"Shut it," Ron said before turning back to Hermione and smiling. "So, you really like me?"

"Yes, Ron. I really do." Ron's smile grew wider as he leaned in, spurred on by his Gryffindor courage that finally decided to show it's face, and pressed his lips to Hermione's, who returned the kiss immediately.

"Awwww," Draco and Harry cooed, earning another "Shut it" from Ron before the kiss was repeated with more enthusiasm. After a while the kisses ended and the new couple leaned back, Hermione leaning into Ron just like Draco was leaning into Harry. They sat in quiet contemplation as the Scottish countryside rolled away outside, all of them with thoughts on the future.

And so the story ends, perhaps in a way that an entirely different story _should_ have ended. Not with death and betrayal, or sadness and uncertainty, but with the coming together of rivals and friends so that they can face the future strong and united. Harry and Draco arrived at the station and were greeted, if that is what you can call it, by the scowling Dursleys, but that I'm afraid is another story and one not to be told just now.

_End – fin – slutt _


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